Payton Marie Murray became the city’s youngest — and tiniest — celebrity by becoming the first baby born at a Worcester hospital in the new year. Born at 12:41 Tuesday morning at UMass Memorial Medical Center — Memorial Campus, the beautiful little girl was welcomed by her parents, Shannon M. and Ben Murray of Worcester. The new love-of-their-lives weighed in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and measured 20-1/2 inches.

“She’s a star,” said Jackie Bouthiller of Sturbridge, Mrs. Murray’s mother. The first-time grandmother was beaming as she pointed to Payton’s tiny, white stocking cap, which was decorated with a gold and silver 2013. “The nurses made her a hat.”

Dr. Mark Aversa, who has specialized in obstetrics and gynecology for 30 years, delivered Payton, his second “first” baby, and then delivered the city’s second baby at 2:15 a.m. Tuesday.

“It was a beautiful delivery,” Dr. Aversa said of the city’s first birth of the year. “This was a young couple and she and her husband were a great team, especially for a first delivery. And the baby is perfect.”

Mr. and Mrs. Murray said the due date was Dec. 30, and they had known since August that they were expecting a girl. They kidded around a little and said they were relieved they were having a girl because they could not come to an agreement on a name for a boy. They had no problem choosing a name for a girl.

“We agreed on the name even before she was born,” Mr. Murray said.

Mrs. Murray, 28, who works as an internal auditor for Milford-based Waters Corp., said she was having Braxton Hicks contractions on Monday afternoon, but wasn’t quite sure she was in labor because she felt them in her abdomen more than her back. Braxton Hicks contractions are sometimes described as “practice” contractions or contractions before the more intense labor contractions begin. She called her best friend, who had a baby two months ago. A very short time later, Mrs. Murray told her husband and mother she thought she was in labor.

“I drove them to the hospital,” Ms. Bouthiller said. “I think I went a little fast on the Mass Pike.”

Ms. Bouthiller was with her daughter and son-in-law for the labor and delivery.

“Ben had one leg, the nurse had the other, and I helped holding her (Mrs. Murray’s) head.”

The couple, and their labor-and-delivery nurses, had a good idea they might have the first baby of the new year. A friendly competition between hospitals often develops on New Year’s Eve. UMass nurses called St. Vincent Hospital and found out that no one was in labor there. There were four women in labor at UMass so the odds of having the first baby were looking good.

Dr. Avery, 57, supervised three deliveries on Monday. After Payton was born early Tuesday morning, Dr. Avery delivered the second baby of the year in the city.

Joseph El-Draiby was born at 2:15 a.m. to Atti Al Hajj, 35, who had arrived from Lebanon a few weeks ago.

Joseph’s father, Benoit El-Draiby, was in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday. He was introduced to his 8 pound, 7.4 ounces, 20-1/2 long son via Skype. Joseph was delivered by Caesarian section, and mother and baby were doing fine Tuesday, and content with gazing into each other’s eyes.

The first New Year’s baby born in the state was born at 12:08 a.m. Tuesday at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton.